Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascail Pain

I have finally been diagnosed and the diagnoses are: Fibromyalgia, Chronic Myofascial Pain, TMJ, and Restless Leg Syndrome (in my arms). I have started physical therapy twice a week for the TMJ and once a week for my back. Today, I had an EMG taken of my arms and learned that my nerves are good to go. Some of the docotrs I had seen in the past were concerned that I may have nerve damage. My doctor told me that my nerves were fine and that there's no evidence of carpal tunnel or anything either. Last night was a pretty bad night for me. I didn't sleep at all having been out of my Ambien CR. Because I was out of the Ambien, I had taken a generic sleep aid with Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in it. My arms went crazy and the creepy crawly feeling in them got really bad. I also felt it a bit in my left leg. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep...maybe two hours.

My doctor had suggested a book for me to read "Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain: A Survival Manual" and I am currently on the chapter on medications. Diphenhydramine had been listed in the chapter and the book stated that in about 20% of people, Benadryl acts as a stimulant instead of making them sleepy. I decided to do some research online on "Benadryl + Restless Leg Syndrome", and sure enough, I found a lot of information on how Benadryl can trigger nasty reactions in RLS. So I learned that Diphenhydramine and RLS do not mix. For those of you who have RLS, be very careful with antihystamines.

I'm so relieved to finally have a diagnosis after 6 years of wondering what was going on with me. I now have a direction in which I can go in terms of treatment.

Yoga to the Rescue

Today I tried a new yoga DVD that my mom had gotten for me. It's called "Yoga to the Rescue: Feel Good from Head to Toe with Desiree Rumbaugh". I tried about the first half of the workout and the stretches were great. They focus on strengthening the neck, back, and shoulders which is great. The workout portion is actually set up in single segments for each pose/stretch so you don't have to do them all as a series if you wouldn't like to or if it's uncomfortable. So if some of the poses are bothersome, while others feel good, you can pick and choose which benefit you the most. Always check with your doctor to see if they feel that this dvd is something good for you to be doing. I think this dvd is something that could be good for me to keep active and maintain strength. I can see this as being a very relaxing activity as well...the music is soothing and is filmed in a beautiful studio. I feel like this dvd can be emotionally and physically healing and plan on using it at least once a week.

Is there a specific activity or exercise that you use to maintain muscle tone and flexibility? What have you found that works and doesn't work?

A Great Doctor's Appointment

My doctor's appointment went so great with the new doctor. He understood everything that I was talking about. He checked the trigger points in my body and head/face and I learned that I'm a jaw clencer, which I was never aware of doing. He had a systematic way how he went about checking me and it was clear to me he was knowledgable about pain. He grabbed one of his books which had illistrations of the trigger points and where the pain radiates to if you have problems with them. It was illustrating the paths of my pain. He told me that I have a lot going on and mentioned fibromyalgia, chronic myofascial pain, and restless leg syndrome (in my arms). I set up another appointment in which we're going to discuss diagnoses and medication further. He's going to look at all my records, MRIs, and CT scans. I've also been scheduled for an EMG on my arms. I would describe my symptoms and they actually made sense to him. He suggested a book for me to read: "Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain: A Survival Manual". He checked with me about sleeping, anxiety, he looked at the whole picture. For the first time in a very long time I feel like I might be able to treat some of the pain medically. It was the best feeling...I actually began to cry during the appointment and he asked me what I was thinking about. I was thinking it's been 6 years until I've felt a physician really understood what I was going through and could help me out, I've been nervous about work because bosses hadn't believed me or were unfair, and that it's been hard. I'm getting closer to actually being diagnosed and finding new ways to help cope with the pain and I'm really excited.

Pain Managment appointment

I have a doctor's appointment at a pain managment clinic on the 27th. I'm really looking forward to this appointment b/c I haven't seen a doctor regarding my pain for quite some time. I plan on working on the insomnia and headaches. I hope that I will be able to treat these problems more successfully than the chronic pain, itself.

I am also planning on starting to work out regularly again. I go through spurts of working out and then being lazy. My goal is to work out at least 3 times a week. Those 3 days I need to at least be doing 30 minutes of cardio. Then I will lift light weights on the days that I feel able to do so.

Today, I spent most of my time looking for jobs online. I found one, maybe two, counseling positions that I can apply for and a few regular jobs I can apply for. I hope to do part-time work while I put ideas together for starting a nonprofit organization. I'm nervous, but I'm also excited. It's time for me to organize my stuff and get my working life in order. After graduating, I'm definately ready to begin the working phase of my life.

Developing a Wellness Toolbox

**Side Note** A "wellness toolbox" is a concept that I've become familiar with in the counseling field. Most of the information I've seen on it on the web is geared towards the topic of depression. I've changed this a bit for the topic of chronic pain.

The ides of a wellness toolbox can be helpful as you anticipate flare-ups in pain. For your wellness toolbox come up with a list of things that you can do, or have done in the past, to help relieve your pain and emotional distress or to keep you feeling well when you are good. Include any strategies, activities, or skills you can use for pain relief and/or a mood boost. The more "tools" you have for coping with chronic pain, the better. Try and use some of these ideas each day, even when you're feeling good. You don't want these things to be associated only with bad times...they're there for you to help you feel better, not remind you that you're not feeling well.

These lists and items can be placed in a special box, container, or drawer. You can decorate this area with soothing colors and pictures if you'd like. Feel free to get creative.

Here are some wellness toolbox ideas for coping with chronic pain:
1. Talk to a supportive friend or family member. (I like having pictures of these people. You
even ask these people to write a short, supportive note on the back of the picture to remind
you that they're truly there for support when you need it.)
2. List what you like/appreciate about yourself and/or your life.
3. Write in your journal.
4. Read a good book or watch a good movie/tv show
5. Take a long, hot bath or shower.
6. Listen to music.
7. Get a massage.
8. Do something nice for someone else.
9. Stretch. (Ask a physical therapist which stretches would be most beneficial for different
aches and pains).
10. Spend time with a loved pet.
11. Meditate and/or pray.
12. Schedule a time for bed that you follow each night.
13. Meet with a counselor.
14. Attend a support group.
15. Do something that makes you laugh.
16. List of things to avoid when you're not feeling well. (i.e., alochol, sugar, caffeine, certain
people, staying out late, etc.)
17. Complete a small task. It feels good to get even a little task done during the day.
18. Take a short nap (maximum of 30 minutes, you don't want to negatively affect your sleep
cycle.)

You can also place items in the box that you can use to help relax...like an eye mask, earplugs (for short naps), a hot and/or cold pack, a special scented candle you light, massager, etc.

Fall is Coming

The weather has been getting cooler and the wind has been picking up. That equals greater chances for pain each day. As the seasons change, I can feel it in my muscles and in my bones. The cooler weather tightens up the muscles. This also means that it's easier to pull and strain muscles while doing daily activities. I think it's really important to develop a plan for ways to ease pain when the weather gets worse. This often times involves heat. A hot shower and letting the pressure from the water massage your neck can be a lifesaver. Wearing appropriate clothing for the weather and temperature is important as well is being prepared for weather changes. I almost always have a sweater in the car, just in case I get cold. Cold = increased pain. Which reminds me, I was going to post about making a "Wellness Toolbox" directed towards those who suffer from chronic pain. Look for that information in my next post.

Pain Assessment Tool

This is the scale that I use to rate my pain. I try to do this daily and keep a log of it, but that's tiring also, which is a bad excuse. This morning my neck is at a 7 and my headache is at a 6. After doing some stretches my upper back has gone from a 6 to a 5. If you use the same scale regularly than it is easier to follow pain levels more reliably. If you switch how you rate pain, there isn't much of a point to recording it if they don't correspond to one another.

From yesterday to today, there has been about a 10 degree drop in temperature. Could that be the reason my body is so tight and sore today? Maybe. Could it be because I painted yesterday? Maybe. I also did some cleaning yesterday...so maybe that's what caused it. My best guess is that it was a combination of everything.

Keeping a pain journal is very useful for tracking pain day to day to try to find patterns and reasons for why you're hurting. When you're in pain, the days can blend together and it's easy to forget what you've done and what you haven't done. Keeping note of it and weather conditions can help you better understand your pain triggers. The journal is also an excellent outlet for recording how you're feeling during these difficult times.

Do you keep a pain journal? Has it helped you notice any patterns in behavior and your pain levels?

Sleeping positions

When your body hurts, sleeping can be difficult, to say the least. A way to help take pressure off of your spine is by placing pillows under and between your knees, or under your hips when you're sleeping on your stomach. Sleeping on your stomach is thought to be the worst position for your back because it makes your spine bend and press down. Here are some pictures to illistrate what I'm talking about.


Placing a pillow in these ways help aline your spine in it's natural position, taking pressure off of the spine, and helping to ease pain. Just today, I went to lay down due to neck and back pain and put a blanket between my knees while I laid on my side. I don't like to sleep on my back much unless I absolutely have to b/c of pain. The blanket took pressure off of my spine and hips, making it easier for me to fall asleep.

There are pillows that are manufactured specifically for these purposes, but you can save yourself the money by using a regular pillow or a blanket.

Other treatments to ease pain

I realized today that I had forgotten a few other things that I do to try to ease pain. Another suggestion that doctors and physical therapists give, if you have a neck injury, is to wear a cervical collar for a given period of time to rest your neck from the weight of your head. When your head feels too heavy for your neck to support...it's a dreadful feeling. Wearing a cervical collar can take the pressure off of your neck for a while. I find that if I wear it for too long, though, my neck gets stiff and can sometimes hurt more. For this reason, I sewed my own cervical collar. At the time, I wanted something to wrap around my neck that wouldn't limit my range of motion. I got some fleece that I had in my fabric box (I just began sewing about 2 years ago) and traced the shape from my "Bean Yoga" neck wrap (I'll post a pic later in this post). When I made this it was when I was desperate for some pain relief so needless to say, I didn't have any stuffing that I had bought for this project. I looked around the house and found some cotton spider webbing from last halloween and put that inside. I sewed the wrap closed, added on an elastic strip with velcro on it...and placed the other velcro end on the other side. This allowed me to fasten it so that I wouldn't have to hold the wrap in place and was also loose enough that it wasn't constricting on my neck. I really like this thing. This is the "Bean Yoga" heated neck wrap that I traced for my neck pillow. I got it from my parents for my birthday a few years ago and it works pretty well. You just pop it in the microwave and strap it around your neck. You can order this and other wraps at http://www.beanproducts.com/ .

I also love, love, LOVE my tempurpedic pillow. I got this for Christmas about 5 years ago and I don't go anywhere without it! It took a few nights to get used to and I felt discouraged about using it at first. Once I had broken it in, it felt so good on my neck. Something I found a bit odd, if you leave your pillow in an area that is pretty cold, it begins to harden/freeze. So when I travel in the winter, I make sure to take it inside if I can. I definately recommend trying this or a similar pillow if you have neck or back pain.

This last product is more relaxation involved. I bought a lavender/vanilla pillow mist at Bath and Body works that is said to help you sleep better. The scent is supposed to be relaxing. If anything, it smells nice when you lay your head down to sleep. Anything you can do to help sleep a little better is worth it. It's something I can do as part of my routine to relax and get ready for bed.

Finally, I came across this while searching for the "Bean Yoga" neck wrap picture... I found it at www.want2care.com/elasto_gel_products.html . This wrap can be heated or cooled and I may check into getting it. I just thought some of you may be interested in trying it. If I get it I'll let you know what I think about it.

New to blogging

I just added some advertisement options for my page. I thought it was pretty cool b/c you can customize what topics and ads are on the page through keywords. You can also choose specific websites to get information from...naturally, I added websites that I've gotten some valuable information from. I know ads can be annoying, but hopefully the ones that are on here will apply to chronic pain issues and can lead you to useful information. I'm just trying this out so we'll see how it goes.

Pain levels the last several days have been 6-8, not good. I believe this is due to the cooler and damper weather. My body has been very sensitive to temperture changes, rain, snow, humidity, etc. How does the weather affect your pain? Can you tell that the weather may be changing due to pain you're experiencing in your body?

Coping strategies for "bad days"

When I'm having a bad day, the medications I try are IBuprofen or Vicodin. Vicodin is highly addictive and try to use that as a last resort. These are the other things that I try to feel better:

1. Heat pad
2. Cold pack
3. Massage pad (heated Shiatsu massage)
4. Shower
5. Funny movie
6. Crossword puzzles (this may sound odd, but anything that can occupy your mind can be
helpful). I had taken a couple trauma courses in graduate school and they talked about how
activities like crossword puzzles are therapeutic.
7. Calling supportive family and friends
8. Stretching
9. Breathing exercises
10. Listen to music
11. Nap/lay down
12. Meditation and/or praying
13. Paint or draw (if I can manage to do so...and it occupies my mind enough from the pain)
14. Play with or watch our guinea pigs
15. Journal or write

Those are the main things that I try doing to ease pain on bad days. Do you have chronic pain? What kinds of things do you try to do/use? Do you know someone who suffers from pain? Which of these activities could be helpful for them?


Minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day know you are not alone.
Lindsay

Today is a bad day.

I hurt all day yesterday, even with the vicodin. I didn't get much good sleep last night and today is full of pain as well. I use a pain rating scale from 1-10 (1 not being bothersome and 10 being the "worst pain imaginable". My neck has been at a 7-8, my headache at a 6, and back pain has ranged from a 6-7. I laid down for a couple hours didn't feel any better and didn't sleep. My neck is very tight, cracking, and throbbing in pain. The headache is dull, but constant. The back pain comes and goes. It's been very difficult to think and I've teared up more than once today. And this isn't even a bad BAD day. It makes me wonder just how much I can put up with. This is what makes pain so difficult to gage from day to day and person to person. I've been in pain to some extent every day for over 6 years. My 1 or "not bothersome" may be a 3 to someone else. I often wonder if I was in no pain and then felt what I felt now...how much I would actually be hurting. When you're used to pain, it's hard to say exactly what you're feeling. So, needless to say, I've been more depressed and sad today. I try to distract myself with funny movies or projects (I love art), but it doesn't always help...especially when the pain is constant and overwhelming. The pains getting worse...I need to try something else, but I have no idea what. Usually all I can do is sit or lie down and wait.

Treatments I've tried for chronic pain

Treatments tried for chronic pain, insomnia, and headaches:

1. Physical Therapy - Deep tissue massage - Ultrasound - Cervical Traction (seen below)
- Cervical traction: parts of the spinal column are “pulled” in opposite directions in order to stabilize or change damaged aspects of the spine (http://www.spineuniverse.com/ineuniverse.com/ww.spineuniverse.com/ ). This process sometimes felt good and sometimes really hurt. It can also give you vertigo, making you dizzy and nauseous.
- Stretches and other exercises (with and without elastic bands)

2. Medications
- Neurontin (Gabapentin): nerve pain
- Cyclobenzaprine: muscle relaxant
- Noritriptyline: muscle relaxant
- Amitriptyline: muscle relaxant
- Topamax: headaches
- Tramadol: headaches
- Depakote: headaches
- Ambien: insomnia
- Ambien CR: insomnia
- Lunesta: insomnia
- Ibuprofen 800mg: as needed for pain
- Hydrocodone (Vicodin): as needed for pain
3. Acupuncture: done on the head, neck, and back
4. Injection therapy: injections were done from the middle of my head down to my lower back.
- Prolotherapy: A sugar solution or other irritating substance is injected into trigger points (areas where pain is felt) in the fibrous tissue that covers bones. This is believed to trigger inflammation, which causes fibrous tissue growth that can strengthen the area.
- Cortizone shots
- Trigger point injections: Anesthetic is injected directly into areas of the body where pain is present.
- Lidocaine injections: to numb area of pain
- Procaine injections: to numb area of pain
5. Lidocaine patches: to numb area of pain
6. Scapular taping: taping the shoulder blades back into the position they should be in
7. Massage
8. Diagnostic tests:
- X-rays
- CT scan
- MRI
9. Types of experts and doctors seen: family physician, sports medicine specialist, neurologists, pain management doctors, alternative pain medicine, trauma therapist, physical therapists, pain psychologist.

That is everything that I can remember at the moment and I think I got it all. As far as I’ve been told by several physicians, I’ve tried most of the treatment options available. All options except for surgery…shoulder restabalization surgery, and that it wasn’t “guaranteed to work”. So that was that.

"Chronic Pain is a Solitary Experience"

Chronic pain is a lonely experience. Even if you have good support from family and friends, it’s lonely. A few months ago I had bought the book, “Chronic Pain for Dummies.” This book gave a hypothetical experience to compare to the experience of chronic pain that I thought hit the nail right on the head. Under the section: Chronic Pain is a Solitary Experience, it gives this hypothetical experience to consider…
“You and your husband are hiking in the mountains and get stuck in a cold, hard rain. You have five miles to go to reach your car. Lunch was four hours ago, and in your pack is only 8 ounces of water, chewing gum, and an apple. And, oh yeah, you forgot your raincoats. So you just keep going. And going. And going. And the cold hard rain never stops.
Two and a half hours later, you finally reach your car. When you arrive, you each know how the other feels. You’re both exhausted, cold, wet, and hungry. And you’re both very relieved that you lived through the experience and your heated cabin – the one with the hot tub – is only a mile away. Later that night, you share a good, long laugh about the experience. For years, you two enjoy telling the story of “the day we almost died on the mountain.”
Chronic pain is very different from this shared experience. You’re up on that mountain all alone. And when you return to your cabin, there may be no heat and no hot tub. And there’s no shared laughter.”

When you have chronic pain, your scope of life gets wider and narrows all at the same time. When I’m having “bad days” or “flare-ups” in pain, my scope on life narrows. I get trapped in my head and my body with the pain. Relief is hard to find and what may have helped yesterday may have no positive effect today. When none of the medications or hot or cold wraps or stretches work my go to escape is to try to take a nap and sleep through the pain. Sleep is such an amazing gift when you’re not feeling well, but if you also have insomnia (which is quite common for people who have chronic pain), sleep eludes you. I don’t think about bills, groceries, friends, family, or the future. I’m trapped in now….the aches, pains, throbbing, and stabbing of now. It’s a pretty horrible place to be and when you go there nearly every day…it’s very tiring and depressing.
However, at the same time, my scope on life have gotten vastly more open. More open in a sense of appreciation for the little things in life and also what I’ve learned about spirituality. Because medical treatments have not helped me much, I have realized that I really need to work on my emotional/mental health. This past year, I’ve been reading a lot about spirituality and it’s been helping me. Working on changing how I think about certain things has helped me get through “bad days” and do what I need to do. It’s also helping me to allow myself to take better care of myself. Missing so many days of class and work made me feel horrible, even guilty. I felt like I was letting so many people down and that it wasn’t right for me to take the time I was to try to rest or take care of myself. I’m getting better at being ok with taking the time I need to take care of me and that’s been really important.
My belief in the afterlife has also helped me. It’s nice to know that there is more than this existence. It keeps me close to loved ones who have passed on and gives such a great sense of comfort. The thing that’s so great with the spirituality stuff, is that you can pick and choose which ideas work for you and ignore the ones you don’t like. It’s not strict and it’s not organized…and that works for me. I’m not saying that if you have chronic pain you need to get into any of this, but that it has been helpful for me. I think we all need to believe in something.
My next goal, medically, is to work on the daily headaches and insomnia. Insomnia and chronic pain is a terrible cycle that feeds off of one another. You don’t sleep well, you hurt more….if you’re in pain, it’s hard to sleep. I would like also to maybe try being in a sleep study. I think that insomnia is almost worse than the pain. When you can’t sleep…you seriously begin to feel neurotic. And when sleep is one of the only things that gets your through pain and you can’t do it…it’s so damn frustrating.
About a month ago I finished up my fourth try at physical therapy (PT). My physical therapist came to the conclusion that PT wouldn’t help my neck or my headaches. It may have helped my back a bit because my back has been overworking for my neck and unstable shoulders. I’ll provide an entry that lists the different treatments that I’ve tried for pain and how they’ve worked or not worked for me. All of the failed treatments have made me realize how important it is to work on being mentally stronger. So that’s where I’m at right now.

Just the beginning...

On August 16, 2002, I was in a car accident at the age of 19. A pick-up truck had rear-ended the car that I was a passenger in. I had heard the tires squealing of the truck behind us and turned around to look when he hit us. Doctors believe that because I was twisted around when the impact occurred my injuries were complicated and this is the reason for my chronic pain.
I had grown up with a very active lifestyle. I rode my bike around, played soccer, tennis, lifted weights, and ran. One of my proudest moments was making it to the state tennis tournament for #1 doubles. Now, it’s difficult to play low-key for even 20 minutes. Not being able to do many of the activities I could do while growing up is something that I still have a very difficult time accepting, even after 6 years.
Every day is now a balancing act. What activities can I do without starting a flare-up in pain? What do I need to do tomorrow? This is an important question because what activity I do today, most likely, affects how I will feel tomorrow. Am I willing to be in more pain tomorrow so that I can do more of what I want to today? Perhaps I am cautious today and don’t want to take the risk of affecting tomorrow. Perhaps I don’t give a damn and want to do whatever I want to do.
School and work have been very challenging. I almost dropped out of college my junior year. I had had a migraine for a month straight with no relief. The specialist I had been seeing even injected 6 shots of lidocaine into the back of my head and given me medication for migraines. No relief. I had missed many classes and spent most of my days in bed. My parents told me that if I needed to be a part-time student to get through this difficult time then that was what I had to do. I would have, but when you go to school part-time you lose your parents health insurance, which I could not lose since I was seeing doctors several times a week.
When a class would meet for the first time, I would take the time to explain to my professor the nature of my chronic pain and that I might possibly miss a few classes. Most of my professors were understanding and willing to work with me throughout the semester. One I remember, in particular, was not very accommodating. I recall that at the beginning of each class, we were to turn in a paper. One day, I was having bad muscle spasms and couldn’t sit through class. I drove my paper over to class and then left to rest at home. I got my paper back and noticed that I had received a poor grade. When I asked the teacher about the grade she told me that I couldn’t receive full credit because I wasn’t in class the entire class period. She told me that if she were to “give me a break” about it, that she’d have to do the same for other students. The example she gave me of another student missing class was absolutely ridiculous. She told me that a classmate of mine was on a bowling team and had missed class because of it. If I was given a break, then the bowler was to be given a break. Gee, chronic pain versus voluntarily signing up for a bowling team. I didn’t sign up for chronic pain. I was pissed. I actually stood up for myself though, and was rather proud. I told her that if she wasn’t willing to work with me on the matter then I would have to report her to Student Disabled Services. That made her quiet.
If you have chronic pain, please learn about what rights you have. If you’re in school, sign up with a Student Disabled Services type program and see that they have the proper documentation to have your back when you encounter difficult professors, etc.
I’ve had three bosses over the past six years that had been unfair to me as well. I was working at a grocery store at the time of my accident and had to greatly cut back on my responsibilities on the job. I had been working in the deli at the time and bending down lifting salads and other items in and out of the deli case was hurting me. I had experienced stabbing pains in my back that nearly made me fall to my knees at work. My doctor wrote me a work release note stating that I couldn’t lift 10 lbs. repeatedly on the job. I gave it to my boss, explaining what I had experienced, and he laughed at me. I had worked there for 5 years and he laughed at me. I quit the next day.
The woman who had been cutting my family’s hair for years was opening up a coffee shop. She knew of my troubles and had similar pain with one of her shoulders. She appeared very understanding and offered me a job. One Friday night I was having terrible pain and muscle spasms and called her to tell her I wouldn’t be able to open the shop the next morning. I was hoping that, calling the night before, she might have been able to find a replacement for me. Afterwards, she stopped scheduling me completely. When I asked her about this, she told me that at the time I had called in sick…it sounded like I was having a party. A party! I frantically thought to myself…I had a roommate at the time and I know my boyfriend was over to take care of me…and maybe the TV was on. My mom felt that the woman stopped scheduling me until I quit because she was afraid that if she fired me, I would sue her because of the disability issue. This was a woman who knew me and my family for years and this is how she ended up treating me. It really hurt.
The next unpleasant boss was at a department store I worked at. For almost a year, I had had a manager who was very supportive and then she was replaced. The new manager scheduled me longer than the doctors work orders allowed. I asked him about it and he said that he would schedule me whenever he wanted to and in whichever department he wanted to. (I had previously been working in departments that allowed me time to sit and rest when I needed to.) Even with numerous notes from my doctor, he would not comply. I had to quit that job too.
At least this occurred right around the time I would have to resign anyways because I would be beginning internships in my masters program. I got an internship at a psychiatric hospital and it was such an amazing experience for me. I was fortunate enough to get an amazing supervisor who was quite supportive of my condition. It was quite difficult to get the required amount of hours at the site that I needed to. I’ll go into more of the emotional and physical struggles I experienced in my next entry.
My goal for this blog is to provide insight into the daily life of living with chronic pain and offer understanding to those who also experience pain. I also wish to offer hope and support to those who seek it. I have tried many different treatments for my pain and researched much on the subject. If I am able to provide any aid to others in pain, than I have accomplished my goal for this blog. Thank you.